Smart Data, Smart Care: Shaping the Digital Dental Patient in the Age of AI

A special issue of Dentistry Journal (ISSN 2304-6767).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 405

Special Issue Editor


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Department of Operative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
Interests: dental caries; dental materials; dentin hypersensitivity; restorative dentistry; sports dentistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue entitled "Smart Data, Smart Care: Shaping the Digital Dental Patient in the Age of AI" explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and data-driven technology in modern dentistry. It focuses on how smart data, ranging from electronic health records to real-time imaging and biometric inputs, can optimize diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient outcomes. Practitioners can deliver more personalized, efficient, and predictive healthcare services by integrating AI-powered tools into dental care. The digital dental patient emerges not just as a recipient of care but as a central figure in a data-enriched ecosystem, where clinical decision making is enhanced through intelligent automation and machine learning. This Special Issue collates innovative research and practical insights into how AI can redefine patient engagement, improve clinical workflows, and pave the way for a new era of more competent, responsive dental care.

Dr. Christos Rahiotis
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • artificial intelligence (AI) in dentistry
  • digital dentistry
  • ai-powered dental tools
  • machine learning in dentistry
  • dental informatics
  • clinical decision support
  • automated diagnostics
  • data-driven healthcare

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 504 KiB  
Article
Reliability of Large Language Model-Based Chatbots Versus Clinicians as Sources of Information on Orthodontics: A Comparative Analysis
by Stefano Martina, Davide Cannatà, Teresa Paduano, Valentina Schettino, Francesco Giordano and Marzio Galdi
Dent. J. 2025, 13(8), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj13080343 - 24 Jul 2025
Viewed by 293
Abstract
Objectives: The present cross-sectional analysis aimed to investigate whether Large Language Model-based chatbots can be used as reliable sources of information in orthodontics by evaluating chatbot responses and comparing them to those of dental practitioners with different levels of knowledge. Methods: [...] Read more.
Objectives: The present cross-sectional analysis aimed to investigate whether Large Language Model-based chatbots can be used as reliable sources of information in orthodontics by evaluating chatbot responses and comparing them to those of dental practitioners with different levels of knowledge. Methods: Eight true and false frequently asked orthodontic questions were submitted to five leading chatbots (ChatGPT-4, Claude-3-Opus, Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental, Microsoft Copilot, and DeepSeek). The consistency of the answers given by chatbots at four different times was assessed using Cronbach’s α. Chi-squared test was used to compare chatbot responses with those given by two groups of clinicians, i.e., general dental practitioners (GDPs) and orthodontic specialists (Os) recruited in an online survey via social media, and differences were considered significant when p < 0.05. Additionally, chatbots were asked to provide a justification for their dichotomous responses using a chain-of-through prompting approach and rating the educational value according to the Global Quality Scale (GQS). Results: A high degree of consistency in answering was found for all analyzed chatbots (α > 0.80). When comparing chatbot answers with GDP and O ones, statistically significant differences were found for almost all the questions (p < 0.05). When evaluating the educational value of chatbot responses, DeepSeek achieved the highest GQS score (median 4.00; interquartile range 0.00), whereas CoPilot had the lowest one (median 2.00; interquartile range 2.00). Conclusions: Although chatbots yield somewhat useful information about orthodontics, they can provide misleading information when dealing with controversial topics. Full article
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